texascavers Digest 15 Feb 2012 23:25:08 -0000 Issue 1499
Topics (messages 19573 through 19588):
Re: Honey Creek sand observation
19573 by: dirtdoc.comcast.net
Re: Wire Wiggle Club
19574 by: William H. Russell
Re: new sinkhole in SW Austin being studied
19575 by: Tim Stich
19584 by: Mark Minton
Government Canyon karst survey
19576 by: Marvin and Lisa
Re: Honeycreek Trip
19577 by: Mark.Alman.L-3com.com
Re:hello!
19578 by: Mark Alman
elections
19579 by: C Tiderman
gypsum needles in Airman's
19580 by: Mixon Bill
Petzl Helmet Sale
19581 by: Mark Minton
OT - Top Houston Toad Experts Help Drive Bastrop Recovery
19582 by: germanyj.aol.com
Bat Workshops in 2012
19583 by: George Veni
Re: Cave Diving on PBS
19585 by: Mark Minton
Terlingua
19586 by: dirtdoc.comcast.net
Punkin Cave survey trip
19587 by: Jim Kennedy
Fwd:Good, used caver wetsuits
19588 by: germanyj.aol.com
Administrivia:
To subscribe to the digest, e-mail:
<[email protected]>
To unsubscribe from the digest, e-mail:
<[email protected]>
To post to the list, e-mail:
<[email protected]>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Begin Message ---
Woops! Sorry. So much for a quick read. My comment still stands, however.
Dwight
----- Original Message -----
From: "George Veni" <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2012 5:36:10 PM
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Re: Honey Creek sand observation
Dwight,
Actually it was someone else who was downplaying the role of soil and plants on
CO2. I’m a fan!
George -
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
The WIre Wiggle was named after the wire used to set off explosive
charges used to enlarge the passage in the 70s. We had almost given
up getting through (we were digging our way in), but we realized we
could see through to a bigger space. We placed a charge (probably
kinapak), and that broke it though. I don't remember who was with
me. So it impassable and we dug on it, then used the chemical
persuasion for the last bit to open it out. We planned to return and
open up the passage some more to make it bigger, but we couldn't
decide which way to go, so we left it small and kinky. >:-} We had
noticed there was an upper level there, and thought that might be the
easier thing to enlarge.
wm
At 10:59 AM -0600 2/14/12, Preston Forsythe wrote:
To the best of my knowledge, Bill Russell pioneered that famous
route at the back of Airman's Cave. I know my trip there was with
Bill. That section of the cave has some amazing long thin selinite
needles. But, the 120 degree tight bend in the Wire Wiggle is a
killer as the knees will not easily bend to accommodate the
maneuver. Rumor is that passage was enlarged, somehow, by blasting?
As for other interesting cave passage names, I particularly like the
secondary entrance name to Cool Springs Cave, KY. That crawlway is
known as Roach's Runway. Reminds me of the old days at 1307 1/2
Kirkwood and the huge numbers of roaches before I led the boric acid
attack in the kitchen. Roach's Runway is another tight passage,
similar to the entrance crawl in Airman's. However, The Wire Wiggle
in the back of Airman's is way tighter than it's entrance crawl.
The current most incredible tight passage that I know of is the new
connection at Mammoth Cave between Donkey Cave and Pohl Avenue under
Flint Ridge. This tight virgin passage was pushed hard by Joyce
Hoffmaster on May 28, 2011. Donkey Cave became the Eleventh
Connection to Mammoth Cave. If you have access, see Roger Brucker's
write-up of this story in the Feb.. 2012 CRF Newsletter. I do not
know if the crawl was named or not. It may be the Donkey Kong push
(?) as the lead was a drain out of the Donkey Kong Pit.
And, while I am running on: how about that Drama in Lukina Jama in
Crotia by Bruce White in the new Feb., 2012, NSS News. One of the
best caving stories I have read.
Cavingly,
Preston in Muhlenberg Co., KY
==========================================
----- Original Message -----
From: <mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
To: <mailto:[email protected]>Preston Forsythe ;
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected] ;
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 7:36 PM
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Schetromph cave
The Wire Wiggle in Airman's. Now there's a noble destination. All
Texas cavers should aspire to passing through its confines at least
once. We should have a club for those who have been through it.
Bill
--
William Hart Russell
4806 Red River Street
Austin, TX 78751
H: 512-453-4774 (messages)
CELL: 512-940-8336
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
That must feed into the same system that Airman's is a part of. Remember
the year Airman's had water flowing out of the wall to the left of the
entrance? I and some others went in there with masks, snorkels, and dive
lights to see where the water was coming from. Must be a lot more cave in
them thar hills!
On Tue, Feb 14, 2012 at 4:59 PM, Logan McNatt <[email protected]> wrote:
> Aimee Beveridge sent this to the UT Grotto Facebook page, so I'm passing
> it on to the texascavers list.
>
> Logan
>
>
> http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/green/entries/2012/02/14/southwest_austin_cave_collapse.html
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Logan,
Thanks for posting that. I'm a non-Facebook throwback...
Mark
At 06:59 PM 2/14/2012, Logan McNatt wrote:
Aimee Beveridge sent this to the UT Grotto Facebook page, so I'm
passing it on to the texascavers list.
Logan
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/green/entries/2012/02/14/southwest_austin_cave_collapse.html
Please reply to [email protected]
Permanent email address is [email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
On March 3rd and 4th we will be looking for caves in the hills and canyons
of Government Canyon. If the trails are dry we will be surveying and
exploring caves. We'll probably also be digging in sinks. These are all
things that cavers like to do so come on out and help.
We meet at 9:00 in the parking lot of the Volunteer/Research Station.
Directions are below. Let me know if you plan to camp.
Find the intersection of U.S. 16 and Loop 1604 in northwest Bexar County
(clearly shown on any state highway map). Drive 2 miles north on U.S. 16 to
the third traffic light and turn left onto FM 1560 (there is a Shell station
on the corner). Follow 1560 for 3 miles till you see the sign for GCSNA.
Follow the arrow to the right and drive 2 more miles to the sharp left turn
in the road. The gate to GCSNA is straight ahead. Enter at the gate and then
take the first right. There is an unlocked gate that will need to be opened
and then closed behind you. Continue to the Volunteer/Research Station,
where we will meet.
Marvin Miller
(210) 415-5190
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Trip reports and photos for the ol' TC, anyone?
Thanks!
(Back from Gulf Shores and N'Awlins) Mark
From: Kurt L. Menking [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 10:44 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Texascavers] Honeycreek Trip
This weekend we managed to squeeze in a great trip despite the forecast
for rain. Turns out the doom and gloom forecast for Wed-Friday last
week never materialized. So I didn't have to cancel the trip.
At least 62 people came out. Ellie Watson, Jill Orr, and Andy Edward
surveyed a lead in the M survey. A few folks did grand finally trips,
nearly 50 folks did through trips. Andy G looked for biology at the
spring and a film crew did some work at the spring as well.
The weather was cold, but when we weren't in the cave we were warm by
the fire. The water levels or flows were higher than they have been for
several years but, but all in all I'd say they were back to normal.
Sunday morning as most folks were packing up to leave we had a fair
amount of sleet, but it didn't cause any road problems.
As far as I could tell a good time was had by all.
Kurt
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Make serious money online using a revolutionary system
http://www.bonturf.com/it.realy.php?SID=282
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hello,
I am Carol Tiderman and I am running for my second term as a Director of the
NSS and I would appreciate your support.
Very soon you will be able to go to the NSS homepage, click on elections and
see the platforms for all the candidates.
In March you will have the opportunity to participate in the first electronic
voting for NSS Directors. Yes, there will be provisions for a printed copy. You
will be receiving an e-mail with details on the election process.
I encourage you to read the platforms and to take advantage of the opportunity
to vote to fill 5 director seats.
Thank you
Carol
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Has anybody determined that the "gypsum needles" in the back of
Airman's are really selenite? The business about redissolving sounds
to me more like epsomite or mirabilite or some other humidity-
sensitive mineral. I think gypsum would have to be actually submerged
to dissolve, but maybe if the dirt they're growing on is wet, they
could be sucked back in, sort of the reverse of how they were
extruded.--Mixon
----------------------------------------
Never play leapfrog with a unicorn.
----------------------------------------
You may "reply" to the address this message
came from, but for long-term use, save:
Personal: [email protected]
AMCS: [email protected] or [email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
For anyone interested in the soon-to-be-discontinued Petzl
Ecrin Roc, one of the most popular caving helmets, it can be had for
the discounted price of $79.97 from KS Work & Rescue
<http://www.ksrescue.com/10301.html>, which is the non-sports arm of
Karst Sports. Interestingly, the price on Karst Sports itself is
$89.97 <http://www.karstsports.com/10301.html>. Go figure!
Mark Minton
Please reply to [email protected]
Permanent email address is [email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=60776
Top Houston Toad Experts Help Drive Bastrop Recovery
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Release Number: 4029-100
» More Information on Texas Wildfires
AUSTIN, Texas, -- Michael Forstner and James Dixon, two of Texas’ distinguished
authorities on the endangered Houston toad, have joined the team of biologists
that is helping to ensure the steady pace of Bastrop County’s recovery from the
2011 wildfires by monitoring for the toad, the Federal Emergency Management
Agency and Texas Division of Emergency Management said Tuesday.
Although the historic Texas drought and then the Bastrop wildfires had a
devastating impact on the toads, Forstner and other researchers from Texas
State University have recently confirmed toad presence in the burn zone. The
goal now is to ensure the toads that survived the blazes do not become a
casualty of the recovery.
Forstner, a Texas State University biology professor who has spent more than a
decade and a half studying and developing management protocols for the Houston
toad, and Dixon, professor emeritus at Texas A&M University with 40 years
experience working with the species, are part of the monitoring team whose
collective experience working with the toad and its habitat totals nearly a
century.
“The presence of a highly qualified team of Houston toad experts and habitat
conservationists will ensure no harm comes to the toad while crews work hard to
get Bastrop cleaned of debris and hazardous trees,” said Federal Coordinating
Officer Kevin Hannes of FEMA. “In this way, we’re driving citizen recovery
forward while protecting a rare native Texan that also happens to be a wildfire
survivor, the Houston toad.”
The monitors are accompanying debris removal and public utility crews in
Bastrop County to determine whether toads are present in their immediate work
areas. Should a monitor come across a toad during the removal of debris or
hazardous trees, the monitor will coordinate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service to safely relocate the toad. The team collectively holds federal and
state permits to identify, locate, handle, remove and transport the species.
“The monitoring work is important because it is a continuation of the
collaborative efforts, with FEMA as a partner, in getting Bastrop and its
Houston toads back to where they were before the fires of last year,” said
Forstner.
It is FEMA’s duty under the federal Endangered Species Act to avoid spending
taxpayer dollars on recovery projects that might jeopardize the existence of
endangered or threatened species, or that might destroy or harm critical
habitats. Bastrop County is one of the Houston toad’s few remaining habitats.
Texans can follow FEMA tweets about the wildfire disaster at
www.twitter.com/femaregion6.
Other online resources are blog.fema.gov, www.facebook.com/fema and
www.youtube.com/fema.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 14-Feb-2012 16:49:00
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Dear Friends,
Below is a message from Janet Tyburec who is teaching bat workshops for Bat
Conservation International (BCI). NCKRI hosted one of last year's workshops
in Carlsbad. It was very informative and worthwhile for anyone seriously
interested in bats or who would like to learn a lot more about them. Please
forward this message to anyone you think may be interested. For more
information, go to the link at the end of Janet's message.
Thanks,
George
--------------------------------------
This year, BCI will offer several training opportunities in Arizona (May),
California (July), and Pennsylvania (August). Courses are conducted at
premiere field locations where students can expect to encounter up to 100
bats per night. Students will learn hands-on techniques for the study of
bats while participating in on-going bat conservation and management
initiatives. In addition, the most current White-nose Syndrome updates will
be presented at all classes, including hands-on training in accepted
field-decontamination and disinfection protocols.
We are offering two different week-long classes at our flagship Arizona and
Pennsylvania venues: (1) a "general" course which has a heavy emphasis on
bat identification and study techniques, and (2) an "advanced capture"
course that will combine mist-netting and harp-trapping with acoustics, bat
detector use, signal analysis and video monitoring. Both courses provide
ample opportunity for participants to learn and practice netting, trapping,
handling, identification, and acoustic monitoring skills using a variety of
capture techniques, bat detectors, and signal analysis protocols.
We will also bring the "general" course to our field site near Lava Beds
National Monument and the Modoc National Forest in Northern California this
July. There, we will also offer a comprehensive "Acoustic Monitoring"
workshop. This course combines both frequency-division AnaBat technology
(with the latest AnaLookW software) and full-spectrum recording and analysis
using Pettersson, Wildlife Acoustics, and BAT detectors (with SonoBat
software for signal analysis). The acoustic course is taught by Chris Corben
(AnaBat developer) and Joe Szewczak (SonoBat developer), with assistance
from power-users in the field, and provides an invaluable opportunity to
learn this technology from industry leaders. Students will be able to "test
drive" different detector and analysis equipment and software while becoming
familiar with different field deployment techniques and protocols for
conducting acoustic inventories. This course is ideal for bat-workers that
are new to acoustic monitoring and want information on the appropriate
equipment for their planned surveys or for experienced technicians who are
interested in switching to a different platform, or in picking up additional
skills.
Registration fees for all of BCI's courses include all meals, lodging, and
field transportation at our study sites. This makes these classes extremely
efficient to attend, for even though they are conducted in remote locations,
few of our field sites are more than 5-10 miles from our
lecture/lodging/eating facility allowing us to spend more time in the field
working and learning and less time traveling.
Interested students can register and find additional information about BCI's
training courses on the website at:
http://www.batcon.org/index.php/get-involved/workshops.html
***************************
George Veni, Ph.D.
Executive Director
National Cave and Karst Research Institute
400-1 Cascades Avenue
Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220-6215 USA
Office: 575-887-5517
Mobile: 210-863-5919
Fax: 575-887-5523
[email protected]
www.nckri.org
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
> -----Original Message-----
> From: varlist Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] On
> Behalf Of Walt Pirie
> Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 11:16 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [VARLIST] Cave Diving on PBS
>
> There's a great program about blue hole diving in the Bahamas,
> scheduled to air on PBS this evening.
>
> Extreme Cave Diving on NOVA
>
> http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/extreme-cave-diving.html
>
> Airs February 15, 2012 on PBS
>
> A team of intrepid scientists journey into one of Earth's most
> dangerous and beautiful underwater frontiers.
>
> Follow a fearless team of scientists as they venture into blue
> holesunderwater caves that formed during the last ice age, when sea
> level was nearly 400 feet below what it is today. These caves, little-
> known treasures of the Bahamas, are one of Earth's least explored and
> most dangerous frontiers. The interdisciplinary team of biologists,
> climatologists, and anthropologists discover intriguing evidence of
> the earliest human inhabitants of the islands, find animals seen
> nowhere else on Earth, and recover a remarkable record of the
planet's climate.
>
> WEB FEATURES
> Watch the entire program online now.
> http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/extreme-cave-diving.html
>
> Walt
Please reply to [email protected]
Permanent email address is [email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Re: [Texascavers] new sinkhole in SW Austin being studied
From: "Mark Minton" <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 2:17:05 PM
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] new sinkhole in SW Austin being studied
Logan,
Thanks for posting that. I'm a non-Facebook throwback...
Mark
Second that, Low Gun. But note that I'm not a throwback, I'm a modern guy who
just will not have anything to do with Facebook.
FYI We are headed down to Terlingua next week and will be there into early May.
Visitors welcome. Camping space available. Best to check before coming, though,
to make sure we are not out in the boonies somewhere or otherwise engulfed.
GSA has a regional geology meeting in Big Bend in March. Two batches of
grandkids also coming in March and/or early April.
Report is 1/4-inch rain a week or so ago, total 3/4-inch of Rain at our squat
since Aug 2010. Year and a half. Lots of cactus reported dying or very severely
stressed and just look dead. We will learn what the real native species are.
Planting trees is stupid. Let you know the truth of that in a couple of
weeks.
Old-time caver and rockologist Ring reported today:
So it's spring here. Some Mesquites did not loose leaves this winter and the
Cottonwoods are all leafed out. My Bougainvilleas are leafing out two months
early and the Sand Hill Cranes and Geese have been heading north for a month
now. I had the water in the chicken pen only freeze once overnight.
My years in the area suggests that Terlingua may be gearing up for a hard
freeze and a genuine goose-drownder. Lower Valley look out!
DirtDoc
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Minton" <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 2:17:05 PM
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] new sinkhole in SW Austin being studied
Logan,
Thanks for posting that. I'm a non-Facebook throwback...
Mark
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Spaces are available for surveyors on this weekend's trip. Vertical
gear and minimum experience necessary. Contact me offlist if
interested. Sketchers get preference, but all welcome up to the field
house maximum (25 people). I am buying the groceries for the group
meals tomorrow after work, so let me know ASAP if you want to attend.
Jim
512-663-2287
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
http://tomsscuba.com/component/content/article/148
Kristina Hager posted in The UT Grotto.
Kristina Hager
5:01pm Feb 15
Tom's used equipment sale usually has some good cave-ready wetsuits for ya'll
View Post on Facebook · Edit Email Settings · Reply to this email to add a
comment.
--- End Message ---
